In 2014, the NFL named three new referees as part of a quiet overhaul of its officiating personnel: Brad Allen, Ronald Torbert and Craig Wrolstad. That trio, along with veteran Ed Hochuli, will lead the four crews officiating the wild-card playoff games this weekend.
As former NFL vice president of officiating Mike Pereira explained in his weekly column in The Sacramento Bee, officials are evaluated after every game and placed into three tiers at the end of the season. Officials in Tier I are eligible to work the Super Bowl or conference championship games. Those in Tier II can work in the wild-card or divisional rounds.